Kedy was a teddy bear, a plain brown teddy bear. Her stitching was a little gilded, and her edges were looking worn. She loved a little girl named Karoline, who hugged her every night and told her what a good teddy bear she was. For five long years she kept by Karoline’s side, through laughter, tears, and many hugs.

One day Karoline asked Kedy a question. It was an odd question to be sure, who else would have thought to ask but a young girl who loved her teddy bear. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Kedy thought long and hard, hard and long, before it finally occurred, “I want to be a little girl, and laugh and sing and play with Karoline!”

“But teddy bears can’t grow up to be little girls,” Karoline told her. “But I want to do it anyway!” Kedy replied. “You can’t do it, Kedy!” Karoline scolded. “I just want to be a little girl and laugh and sing and play with you! Don’t you want that too!?”

And Karoline was quiet for a while, then stood and left the room. Kedy could only wait, wondering if she had hurt the best little girl she’d ever known. Karoline came back, with something hidden behind her back, “now Kedy, tell me really, no games, and nothing impossible, what do you want to be when you grow up!?”

“A little girl, is all. It’s all I’ll ever want!” But Kedy’s answer made Karoline angry, and she pulled out what she’d been hiding. With one swift stroke her first stab landed, the knife cutting brown and gold. “I’m sorry” cried the little bear, as her only love attacked. “Sorry!?” Karoline called with manic glee as she ripped the bear to shreds. “How dare you say such awful things to me, stupid bear, stupid useless bear!”

The police arrived the following day, but called others on there way. It wasn’t there’s to take her, despite the gruesome scene. The men in white would come for one who holds her little girl and screams, “What a bad little teddy bear you’ve been! You should have listened to me!”